Sunday, December 19, 2010

We've got some updates for you. Usually Miss Macabre keeps you posted on new developments, but tonight I'm spitting the poison [fiend at the controls!]

First and foremost, we're terribly excited that we have made our fund-raising goal for the 2011 Atrocity Exhibition, so let me just say THANK YOU to everyone who donated, re-posted our links, talked us up, and encouraged us to keep pushing along. We appreciate each and every effort and dollar put forth for us. An additional thank you to all of you who ordered from us in 2010. You monsters keep us going. Give yourselves a pat on the back, Preferably with a hand that's been severed from someone else.

On the same note, we're gathering up the rewards offerings we promised to people who donated over $40. We'll be sending things out after Jan 1st, when the kickstarter program comes to it's end. Tonight we've been working on the limited run of tee shirts we designed specifically for Atrocity [see below this post]. The goal tonight was womens' tees, which are all in the process of being lovingly mauled and beaten up by our own Miss Macabre. The tees [and a few tanks] all feature the new logo we designed, screened in different places on each shirt, and are all bleached, ripped, and otherwise maimed. They're all similar, but one of a kind. It's kind of what we do... These absolutely atrocious shirts will be available for purchase and all proceeds will go to the event. Mens' tees to come soon, and more on this note later...

Dates for the event itself are still being discussed, but we have it narrowed down to two dates in April within two weeks of each other. We are going to begin the call for ARTISTS shortly. We have some great entertainment lined up HOWEVER we are still keeping our eyes open for possible additional performers to join the horror-show - so if you think what you do could mesh well with the rest of the nightmare cast of characters, give us a shout at atrocityexhibition@moroseandmacabre.com.

Lastly, we have decided on the theme for this year's event: Vaude-VILE Asylum Cabaret. Think of what it would be like if a band of circus performers came crashing into a mental hospital circa the 1800s. Cruel and unusual "treatments", sadistic orderlies, doctors crazier than the patients, shock treatments, straight jackets, ice-pick lobotomies... and spirited performances! All wrapped up in some gauze for you... you know... to help the infection spread faster.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Greetings,The holidays are upon us...this means stress, long lines, crazy traffic, arising family issues....etc, etc, etc. This also means that you are scratching your cranium while searching for the "perfect gift" for your favorite malcontent. When asked what I would like for gifts in the upcoming year, my response is almost always "a visa gift card". There are so many artists and creators online that tempt my wallet everyday and rarely have the extra funds to purchase the things that I truly want. On the rare occassion that I do get to induldge, it is relatively like xmas morning when that long awaited package arrives at the door and the idea that someone put thought and work into the creation makes it so much special than anything bought in a flourescent lit store mass created in a factory. Not only have I supported an artform, but I've also supported the artist and the hard work. Below, I've including a link to a treasury that we've created on Etsy for some of our current favorite items....since you can only make a treasury so big, and there are some artists who live off of independent websites, I've also included a list of links to artists who we adore, inspire us, and have supported us. We highly recommend you check out these wicked creators before running off to the department store this year. Even if "dark" isn't your nature, there is an entire world of Etsy and other art sites that you can find nearly everything that you'd buy in the store....EXCEPT it is all handmade and one of a kind. Support art.

On that note, the shoppe's 25% off Strangulations sale will come to a head on black friday at midnight (EST)....but never fear, we have something ELSE up our sleeves. A contest? Yes. Our first. This weekend and this weekend ONLY, we are offering a deal to our Etsy/Facebook customers. How does it work....-Purchase any handmade, ooak creation from our shoppe-Go to the Morose & Macabre Facebook wall User: Morose Macabre-Post "I'VE PURCHASED AN ODDITY!" on our wall.

You will then be entered into a drawing after the contest ends on Sunday 11/28 at midnight (EST). The winner will be chosen at random and they will then get to purchase $30 worth of goods from Morose & Macabre's Wicked Little Shoppe that will be sent with their purchase. Not a bad deal? Get something for yourself and knock some holiday shopping out all at one time!

Lastly, Morose & Macabre will be making an appearance in Cleveland's Waterloo 7 Gallery for the "Holiday Art Massacre on Waterloo" exhibit on 12/11/10. We have all NEW holiday inspired dark art. This is not your Norman Rockwell Christmas creations....all artists displayed will be exhibiting the very finest in dark humor and twisted holiday art. We will also be vending a table at the event with all of our Strangulation, handmade screenprints, and art prints. The artwork that we have created for the event is EXCLUSIVE to the holiday event, but what does not sell will be available in the shoppe at a sale price! Who said we weren't giving?

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Greetings,Those of you who follow us on various social networking sites and at The House, have by now figured out that we are starting to brew on the next Atrocity Exhibition in 2011. As you all know, we had cancelled the event that we had previously planned to host in November due to multiple negative happenings that just seemed to be bogging down the planning and sucking the life out of everything. Signs that could not be ignored seemed to feel like they were saying it was the wrong time.Emotions tend to get the best of us, and heading into an event as large as Atrocity with uneasy feelings and a clouded head would've had an effect on the living work of art that we were trying to create.We've had time to stew, and time to plan. We've had suggestions, directions, and support from many of the folks that make Atrocity what it is, both fans and entertainers alike. Everyone involved in last year's event reached out and expressed both concern and encouragement. We thank you all, because of you.......and a little patience....Atrocity 2011's rusty, gnashing, gears have begun to turn.We have begun the fundraising process, and within 3 days, we were able to reach well over 50% of our goal. As i write this, we have 77 days left on kickstarter.com to raise the other 44% to goal. With the already given and continuing support, we can meet and exceed this mark by midnight 1/1/11. I have included the link to our kickstarter fundraiser at the bottom of this entry, you can read more about the event and how you can help out. Even if you can not donate money, your help with posting the link and spreading the word is just as appreciated. We will soon be making an appearance on kickstarter via video and discussing Atrocity, our work, and other random nonsense such as puppetshows and witty sarcasm. We will also reach out to our fans, followers, and friends. Send any questions or comments to atrocityexhibition@moroseandmacabre.com and maybe, just maybe, we'll answer live. A new, limited shirt design is in the works as well. All proceeds will be dumped into the Atrocity vault and go towards the event's making. We will reveal the shirt design a few weeks before the shirt is available.....and as always....it will be wicked.Lastly, we have tossed around 2 previous ideas for 2011's theme, but can't seem to settle on anything solid. Perhaps there is dark thought that has yet to cross our twisted, little minds? This is where you come in.....we both know that you're creeps.....you wouldn't like us if you weren't. We're just not that like-able to "normal folk". Toss us your ideas.....the thoughts from the shadow of "outside the box". Last year's event was set in the post apocalyptic 1930's......if the bomb had dropped. It was a black and white/gas mask event and was truly something to be a part of. You may crash your ideas off of us by emailing to atrocityexhibition@moroseandmacabre.com . Perhaps, if we really like what you've dreamt up, and decide to turn your tilted thought into a reality....you will be rewarded?We will make announcement at the House and other random places you find us on the web regarding the date of our first, live video.....our tee shirts.....and our kickstarter.Until then,Parting is such sweet sorrow,Macabre

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Greetings,I have decided to address the masses, myself, on the current status of this year's Atrocity Exhibition. We have been wrestling for several weeks now with the announcement I'm about to make and we are finally sound in our decision. As you all know, Atrocity was a screaming success last year. We were able to host a dark cabaret focused on the ART of fetish performance, bringing artistic and visually stunning performances to the stage by people who are skilled at their crafts as well as housing fellow dark artists and it was brilliant. We have been struggling for the past several months on venue location for this event. I have been lied to, put off, ignored, and told "no" at every turn. Last year's venue was more than willing to accomodate, up until night of show. We were hassled, treated disrespectfully, and refuse to ever work with anyone who operates on that level of unprofessionalism. This year, I found a new location to host the event. At first, the response was extremely positive and all seemed to be settling into place.....at first. For the past 3 months, I have been chasing down the booking agent, begging for return emails, and begging for contracts. WE ARE PROFESSIONALS. I have been doing events in this city for over 10 years and I've never had to BEG for someone to hand me a contract, so that I can give them my money. I refuse to do so any longer. I feel that I should not have to pay top dollar for a phenomenal location, only to have restrictions put on our performers and keep on top of people to DO THEIR JOBS. The venues in this city have been shutting down left and right and it's no wonder. My stress levels are higher than they ever have been and I can't go into this with a clear head at the moment. The problem has mainly been accomodating our suspension team. They are part of our sideshow family and we refuse to do the event without them. We stand firmly behind our own, as that is the way it should be. The team has always been very good to us and we have the highest level of respect for The Hook Is Family. Not only do they offer a true PERFORMANCE, but not everyone has the extreme mental and physical capabilities of Rev and Alice and can do what they do. We will not lay down on the matter and will not go forward with out them. We were offered an alternative to accomodate them, but this late in the game....it is an incredible crunch on promotion and preparation and we run the risk of low attendance when an event is improperly promoted. We pride ourselves on hosting fantastic, well thought events and to sloppily and frantically prepare, would only injure the quality. I can't ask our friends and comrades to travel far distances for something that I feel would be "half assed".It has also recently come to light, that we have several copycat events running a little too close to our originally planned date. It seems that dark cabarets incorporating fetish and art displays are popping up everywhere. Miraculously, almost mirror images of Atrocity, but with poor and juvenile taste. Atrocity is about artform. Atrocity is stepping inside what the dark imagination can paint from sexual desire and morbid curiosity. We hand pick our entertainers and displaying artists because they have an understanding and an appreciation for ART. They put time and dedication into everything that they do, as do we, and that is why we all work together as such a fantastic family of misfits and oddballs. What does this all boil down to? We are cancelling our date of November 12th for Atrocity Exhibition and there will be no 2010 show. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE ABANDONING THIS EVENT OR ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT US. This event is our wicked, little child and we will not orphan it. But sometimes, you have to listen to the beat of life and it has clearly said that it is not the time. So now what? We regroup. We plan. We attack this with a different strategy. We pick a new season and a new location. As everyone knows, the good Doctor and myself take the winter off to concentrate on our work without the stress of travelling and producing for events as well as the shoppe. We get back to doing what we love with no stress of deadline. We are also using this time to prepare for the next Atrocity Exhibition......and it will be bigger, badder, and more wicked than ever. When we are told that we "can't" we work harder to prove that we can.This time around, we will not disclose any information until it is time for promotion on the event. We are tired of people who lack originality and thoughts of their own riding on our coat tails and taking credit for sloppy reproductions of our hard work, it is infuriating. We hope that you will all respect us for this decision, stand behind us, and continue to support us and our event. See you at the next Atrocity....

Monday, July 26, 2010

It has been a busy and successful summer....we've spent most of it hiding from the sun....as we all know, the wicked play in the darkness....

We'd like to take a moment of your time to thank the malcontents that are Prometheus Burning for a brutal evening at Displaced & Disorderly. This was one of our most successful events and we can't thank them enough for including us in the release of their new album "Displacement Disorder" and letting Macabre stab herself multiple times and dance around like a large, angry bird on your stage (it's what she does best). Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the underground that evening.

On to new debauchery.... We are pleased to announce that we will be joining all of the creeps at Horrorfind Weekend Convention in Gettysburg, September 3-5. We will be peddling our limbs and oddities in the dealer room all weekend. http://www.horrorfindweekend.com/ There are still weekend passes available, but hotel accomodations are filling fast. We hope you will come out and join us for the weekend.

(Note: If we're not at our booth, we will be found kneeling at the feet of Nivek Ogre and Clive Barker.)

In preparation for convention, we will be pumping out new oddities regularly for both fundraising for the event in our shoppe and to supply our table through out the weekend. Expect to be seeing our patches, shirts, and new artworks hitting the shoppe throughout the upcoming weeks. Since the success of the Morose & Macabre Conjoined Twin Coffin patch, we will be adding this to our shoppe for purchase, as it has previously been limited to shows.

We will be joining the Steel City Steam Society on August 21st from 5pm to 11pm at Revolutionaries Cafe and will be displaying a few wares for their Leo Birthday Bash. It'll be a steampunk birthday bash for Leos. You can also find our own Macabre burlesquing her way to their next big to-do in September with her wicked sisters of the Bridge City Bombshells.

In the meantime, we will also be taking the first weekend in August away at the hub of all that is spooky in PA, The Grand Midway Haunted Hotel www.iliveinahauntedhotel.com in Winbur for their exclusive Kerouac Fest. Our wicked, little shoppe will be closed for that weekend we are away.

Monday, July 5, 2010

We have been given the pleasure of displaying at Prometheus Burning's CD Release of their new album Displacement Disorder on July 24th with I, Parasite and Surachai. We will be displaying our works along with our fellow artist creeps and our own Macabre Noir will be performing a painful, little number.

We'd like to take a moment to thank Nikki and Gregg of ProBurn, comrades of the deeply disturbed, for inviting us to be involved.

Also, we have updated The House, and it will soon be phasing again....we've been thinking about some redecorating.....it's just never dark quite dark enough in here.....

Monday, June 14, 2010

Greetings,We're just coming out of a busy weekend full of debauchery and heading into our next wicked endeavors. We'd like to take a moment to thank all of the malcontents who came out to support us at Treacherous Tea this past weekend. It's always nice to see all of our friends and creeps at these events and we appreciate all of you.We just listed in our Wicked, Little Shoppe on Etsy all of the exclusive creations made for the event that did not find homes, so that those who weren't able to make it can have a piece of the poisonous pie.We will have the shoppe open until Tuesday, June 22, when we will be pulling all of our oddities and heading to the Waterloo Arts Festival in Cleveland, OH on June 26th. We hope those of our local Ohio creeps will come join us while we bake our dead-pale asses in the June sun and heat peddling our oddities.So that everyone knows, Atrocity Exhibition is upon us and we depend on you to make these events happen. All of the sales that are coming in are going to be funding this year's event, so your purchases are appreciated now more than ever. With the House fully rolling, we are setting our goal to be able to fund the event entirely from our art sales. Even if you can't afford our pieces, we always appreciate re-posting and spreading the word on our social networking sites. Anything you can do, is always a giant help, and as always, we are forever in our supporters' debt.Lastly, a special thanks is going out to Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc and Cannibal Rose at Twisted Dreams Magazine for the feature on our Arachnophilia Collection. It was an amazing surprise to see us in print and a million thank yous are in order. Andrea and Cannibal Rose have been an amazing support network and we love them both dearly. Thank you, again and again.Check out the zine at www.myspace.com/twisteddreamsmagazineWicked is, as wicked does,Macabre Noir

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Hell-o weirdos!Dr. M here. We're currently in the studio working... finishing up noose ends.. err.. LOOSE ends in our preparation for Treacherous Tea. We've managed to complete a pretty gruesome batch of new neckwear, all of which will be for sale at our spooky little tea party. Oh, and there'll be free cupcakes. Did we mention that? The recipe was passed down from our dear old Auntie Lucifer.We're still in the planning stages for the next Atrocity Exhibition, but we [almost certainly] have our theme in mind. We still have a long way to go and a lot to figure out, but this will be another horrific event not to be missed. We're hoping to see some of you who couldn't make it last time! As always, we'll have some wicked talent and grotesque art to make you uneasy.Miss Macabre is working on another painting as I write this, and we have some other tricks up our sleeves. Back to work! No rest for the wicked, after all. Until next time, stay sick!-Dr M.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

It has come to our attention that we've been neglecting our local creeps. A lot of folks hesitate when purchasing from the shoppe because of the shipping cost and we completely understand. We don't sell our oddities at local consignment shoppes and galleries because we'd have to charge an astronomical amount in order to break even on the sale. Atrocity Exhibition only rolls around once a year and it is a giant all-evening event with a cover charge.

We've come up with a solution to both bring together the local spookies and make our work available....with no cover charge, or shipping, or stores.

Treacherous Tea will be our first small showcasing in the Pittsburgh area. It will be a free event that will feature our collection of odd Strangulation wearable art. This will be a Victorian gothic tea party and those who attend are more than welcome to dress the theme, it's not required....but, what's the fun in that?

We will be holding Treacherous Tea at The HKan in the southside of Pittsburgh (2210 East Carson Street) on Sunday, June 13, 2010 from 6-8:30. We'll be bringing with us some of our smaller art pieces and jewelry including our ugly, little darlings the Homunculi girls and 2 exclusive Arachnophilia (real spider web jewelry) Collection pieces.

We extend the offer that if anyone is interested in a larger piece from the shoppe, to email us with a reserve request, these requests will require a $10 deposit via Paypal.

We've also had a lot of comments regarding folks who are NOT from the area that wish they could attend the event, we are always open to smaller locations outside of our area to host similar events. You can always email us with ideas and locations, we love to spread the spooky to new places.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

In early 2009, a little house was built in a sea of dark artists, designers, and jewelry makers on the internet.

We were two independent artists from the rural areas of Western Pennsylvania trying to reach out for some recognition in a small and low income community. Indepent artists and misfits that had been deemed "freaks" all of our lives, the collaboration was never planned, in was born out of frustration and lack of the community's respect for a "darker art form". People from the area weren't buying art, very much less supporting the kind of creations that we were producing independently. Only able to showcase at "halloween shows", our work was only appreciated once a year and never actually purchased to hang in local homes, aside from friends who shared our love of odd.

We started as friends hanging out and having morbid, little painting parties for fun. After working with each other for a time, it was fairly clear that we were able to motivate each other and that was what we were lacking seperately. We call it "one upping". One of us would paint something phenomenal and it would drive the other to want to create something equally amazing, if not better.

We had previously discussed doing a website featuring our designs and illustrations on tee shirts, but we were discovering that there was a whole other spectrum to our creativity. Our paintings eerily collaborated with one and other, although they were crafted with different techniques. Our color schemes and thoughts were meshing together in some sort of creepy harmony and were forming a collection without intention. Our website tumbled from morbidly sarcastic tee shirt designs, into a gallery for neo victorian inspired horror art.

We painted and we planned in the months that followed as we built the site and began networking before our launch. We built our profiles on social networking sites and began teasing people with our dark senses of humor and the promise that "something wicked this way comes".

In February of 2009, The House of Oddities was born. It was inhabited by those dark, little voices in the back of our minds that most people ignore. We named them Dr. Morose and Miss Macabre and instead of keeping them locked up, we built them a house to run rampant.

By the end of February we were producing artworks, post mortem shadow boxes, dolls, and simple jewelry made from pewter stampings and began selling them in our Wicked, Little Shoppe via Etsy.

Although not prepared or planning for any sort of immediate success, to our surprise, our oddities were selling......well.

Shortly after, we hit the road. We built 2 giant, bloody walls with mounts for paintings and strapped them awkwardly a top a Ford Focus hatch back and headed south in the cramped, art-packed car. Morose & Macabre's House of Oddites made our first public appearance as a collaborative in Charlotte, North Carolina in late May and early June of 2009 at Shiprocked! and Kabarett Vulgare. With the help of our dear friend, Deville, it was a flying success.

Since then, we have traveled, shown, and evolved at an amazing rate that neither of us had ever hoped, nor dared dream. Our jewelry has snowballed from simple pewter stampings on chain, to hand crafted wearable art in our Strangulations collection and Arachnophilia collection. Our paintings continue to collaborate all on their own and now incorporate mixed medias of both fibers and dead things. We branched out to do a fully dimensional installation monstrosity which we lovingly named "Mary".

Best of all, we became ring masters for the Atrocity Exhibition, Morose & Macabre's first independent event that houses sideshow entertainers and showcases our fellow dark artists and artisans. The first event was a raging success and we were not only able to promote our work, but bring all of our misfit friends and comrades together from all over for one unforgettable evening and share our success with these talented folks who supported US for so long.

That brings us to the present....

We have so much more to come. We have so many people to thank. Most of all, our supporters. We are constantly being appologized to for not "being able to afford" our work. In all honestly (from the bottom of both our black, little hearts), it's not the money that keeps us going. It's the feedback, the appreciation, and the encouragment from all of those creeps out there who know what it's like to be a little odd. YOU are what we were missing and are the final piece of The House of Oddities and it's completion and success. We can never thank you enough for supporting two deeply disturbed, independent artists.

About Me

Neo victorian inspired horror artist and odd jewelry creators. Morose and Macabre's House of Oddities is the collaboration of 2 creeps who found each other through the love of all things dark and dead. Visit our home and learn more about us at www.moroseandmacabre.com